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Thursday, March 29, 2018

Done Like Dinner

OK, maybe not dinner since I haven’t made it yet today! However, I have finally finished my V8499 Marcy Skirt (aka “Saddlebags”. Debbie Double tried it on first:

But today I stole it back! Don’t want her to have all the fun, hey? Here’s a detail that shows the fabric and pocket buttons more clearly:

It’s comfy and warm - but not too warm. It passed the “going upstairs without fussing or tripping” test just fine. I call it a success!

So what’s next, you ask? I was dithering and flitting about in my usual damselfly-ish way. Too many patterns and too much fabric. Yeah, that’s an issue. Who knew? Eventually I got inspired to post some of my pattern/fabric combinations so they will start to feel solid, if you know what I mean. I probably won’t work on them in this order because sometimes 2 or more patterns need to be cut out of the same fabric. Or alternatively, it might take 2 or more fabrics to cut out one pattern. Anyway, this is what I’ve got so far:

And that’s not even counting the 4 or 5 shirts I want to make for Thom! There’s an awful lot of sewing options left too. Gotta start somewhere though, right? The last one up there is a 4-piece mix & match combo that may or may not work out depending on amounts of fabric available. (Yeah, I’m seeing more saddlebags here! It’s a thing.) I saw one version of this dress somewhere online in black knit with a plaid lower section and lightbulbs went off in my head! I don’t know if the plaid was a knit or not but I don’t think it’s important for that part of the dress so I think I’m safe using the khadi cloth from Maiwa. If there’s enough left over (I have 5 metres so there should definitely be) I’ll make a simple Triangle Top out of the rest and feature the red and blue selvedges on the hem. If there’s enough of the black micro-rib (I only have 3 metres but it’s really extra wide) I’ll make a lightweight pair of leggings/tights as well as the tunic length Lane t-shirt with 3/4 sleeves (my favourite length). The red/back check fabric is something I found in the stash. There’s just scraps but maybe they can be pockets or bias edgings or something. We shall see.

Meanwhile, there will be lots of pattern chopping, adjusting, gluing and measuring going on before I can even begin to cut things out. If I haven’t used a pattern before, it needs work! Happily I (mostly) enjoy making things fit.

In other news, I came across a link to this very interesting article. A very hot topic explored with well-researched facts and sensible opinions. Spoiler alert: I pretty much agree with the author. YMMV, as they say. Have a read and see what you think.

So, my dears, hope you have a very Happy Easter if you celebrate! For my non-religious family it’s a chance to get together, eat, drink, and be merry and welcome Spring to our little corner of the world. Yep, we’ve volunteered to host so I’ll be cooking for the next few days. This time I’m determined NOT to spend the whole affair slaving in the kitchen. Even though I really like to cook. We’ll see how that goes!

4 comments:

I really like your new skirt, which looks both interesting and useful, and am glad to read that it turned out worth all the effort you put into it! I can relate to the need to shorten commercial patterns, as I am even shorter than you. I read somewhere, I think, that Marcy Tilton is not short, and of course the models used in fashion photography are Very Tall Indeed!

Thanks, Alison! I’ve been relatively close to Marcy and she’s about 5’6”. Her sister Katherine is also quite a bit taller than she is. The standard Big 4 block is based on 5’6” but Marcy says she makes her garments that she sends to Vogue longer still to fit the photo models. Yeesh! How are we vertically challenged types supposed to be inspired to make them? I’m very inspired to hone my fitting skills, that’s for sure!

I've noticed almost every pattern you have has POCKETS. Pockets are the big complaint of my life. Have you noticed that most women's clothing has no pockets??? Oh - and shortening??? I'm almost 5'8" & I've had to shorten the rise or roll the waist on every pair of pants I've ever owned except the 'Petite' ones which are too short in the legs . . . .This is why I wear men's sweat pants in the winter. Short in the rise, warm - gotta keep those knees comfy & pockets. I can take keys & wallet & cane if I need it & GO. Yeah, I could sew but there's only so many hours in the day!!

I absolutely love pockets! Totally miss them if I don’t have them too. I think the reason they skip pockets on women’s clothes is because women complain that putting things in pockets messes with the slim lines. At least that’s what the manufacturers say. I believe it’s also because it costs more to add them, both in fabric and in sewing. Every extra seam seam costs money. Probably the same reasons so many garments are sleeveless too. Even though many older women especially would prefer sleeves.